The Cheeky Little Demon (Barbatos X Ikutachi)
by Akasha1908
Summary: Barbatos' nephew is visiting and he has one very awkward question for Ikutachi...
1. Chapter 1 - The Cheeky Little Demon

Ikutachi stretched his arm out to Barbatos' side of the bed, feeling for the Phantom's warm body. When his hand hit the wrinkled empty sheets, he peeked open an eye. He nearly shrieked, jumping back and pulling the covers over his naked body.

Sitting on Barbatos' side of the bed was a little boy, staring down at him with the biggest, brightest pair of glowing red eyes Ikutachi had ever seen. To say the boy was adorable was an understatement. In fact, he was the spitting image of Barbatos just in a tiny bite-sized form. Same eye color, same hair color, even the same horns but kiddy sized.

"Iku, are you alright?" Barbatos practically flew out of the bathroom, soaking wet with nothing but a towel around his waist.

Ikutachi looked over at the Phantom, mouthing a response but no words actually coming out.

"Did you forget?" Barbatos asked in amusement, walking towards the bed. "I told you Aetos was coming to stay with us for a while."

Ikutachi blinked, trying to recall a conversation regarding the pint-sized demon who was currently inching closer to him.

"My brother's wife is having a baby girl, remember? She went into labor, so Aetos is going to stay with us until the little she-demon arrives."

"I thought she wasn't due for another 3 month," Ikutachi replied, pulling himself up and leaning back against the headboard."

Barbatos gave Ikutachi an apologetic look. "Demons have a shorter pregnancy than humans. I should have explained that to you. She's a few days early, so I wasn't entirely prepared for Aetos' arrival, but if you give me a few minutes to finish up my shower we'll get out of your way."

"And why would I want you out of my way, Phantom," Ikutachi replied, winking at the little demon sitting beside him. "Once you finish your shower, I'll grab a quick one and we can all head downstairs for breakfast. Sound good?"

"Sounds perfect," Barbatos replied; his voice filled with love and adoration.

The Phantom returned to the bathroom, leaving Ikutachi alone with the boy.

"Hello, Ae-kun, my name is Ikutachi. It's very nice to meet you."

The boy crawled over to Ikutachi staring at him intensely. "You're pretty," he said, poking Ikutachi's cheek. "Like a girl."

"Umm, thank you."

"Mama says I have to be nice to you, but I don't like girls."

"Well, I'm not a girl," Ikutachi explained.

The little boy's eyes narrowed on him as he reached out to tug the blanket down. "You gots no boobies," he said in surprise.

"Of course not, because I'm not a girl."

"But Mama said you and Oji-chama are together."

"We are together."

"But you're a boy."

"You're very observant," Ikutachi said with a laugh, picking up a glass of water from the night stand and taking a sip.

Aetos frowned, sitting back on his heels. Ikutachi examined the confused child over the rim of his cup; the sight of the little demon filling him with a strange sort of longing. Aetos look so much like Barbatos; so cute and innocent with his chubby cheeks and tiny hands that it made Ikutachi long for his own mini-Barbatos… He was so caught up in his reverie, that he didn't notice Aetos' tiny little hands trying to lift the covers off his naked form and peek underneath.

"But where does Oji-chama put his wee wee?"

Water sprayed from Ikutachi's lips. He could hardly breathe as he choked on the liquid. All the while, Aetos tried to weasel his way under the covers.

"How old are you?" Ikutachi asked, gasping for air as he tried to push the persistent little demon away. "Like 3?!"

"Three and a half," Aetos huffed indignantly.

"That's entirely too young to know about wee wees and where they go!"

Aetos snorted. "Nuh-uh! Besides, Mama and Papa says it's natuwal! How do you think my baby sis got here? Papa put his wee wee in Mama's pee pee and then…"

"Okay, that's enough! First of all, I think you meant "natural." Second of all, who in the world taught you such things?!"

"Papa and Oji-chama," Aetos replied sweetly.

"At your age?! You're just a baby!"

"I ain't no baby! I told you, I'm 3 and half years old!"

Barbatos took that moment to walk out of the bathroom. "You two doing okay?"

Ikutachi shot Barbatos a reproachful look, climbing out of the bed and wrapping the sheet around his waist.

"What happened?" Barbatos asked worriedly. "Aetos, you promised to behave."

"I am behaving, Oji-chama, just like you told me to. All I did was ask Ikutachi-tan a question. B-but then he got mad and yelled at me." Tears formed in the demon's big beautiful eyes, making Ikutachi roll his own. The little boy knew exactly how to play his Uncle…

Barbatos walked over to Aetos, reaching out to lift the sniffling boy from the bed. "What did you ask little demon?"

"It's not a big deal, Oji-chama," Aetos replied, tugging at Barbatos' hair and giving the Phantom the most perfectly innocent look.

"Aetos, tell me."

"Yes, Ae-kun, tell him," Ikutachi interjected, pulling on his robe and tying the strap heatedly. "I'd like to hear your Uncle's response."

Aetos shot Ikutachi an angry scowl, mumbling something under his breath.

"What was that?" Barbatos asked. "Uncle didn't hear you."

"It's just… Mama says you love Ikutachi-tan like Papa loves her."

"That's true," Barbatos said proudly. "I love Iku very much."

"Then you make babies, right? Like Mama and Papa?"

Barbatos licked his lips; the look of helplessness on his face bringing a smile to Ikutachi's face. "Well, Iku and I don't… You see, two men can't…"

"Funny," Ikutachi said wryly. "You can tell the boy all about making babies, but not about how two men do it."

Barbatos sighed heavily, putting Aetos on the ground. "Demon upbringing is… unconventional. We're passionate and expressive in our affection and we make no attempt to hide that from our children. We believe in openness when it comes to our sexuality."

"I see," Ikutachi replied, walking languidly towards Barbatos. "That explains a great deal. It appears you demons start early. Must be why you're so experienced."

Barbatos held out his arms, pulling Ikutachi against his bare chest. "You have no idea," he whispered, dropping a kiss on Ikutachi's parted lips. "And I have so much more to show you."

Ikutachi was about to reply when a rush of cold air flew up the bottom of his robe.

"Oh I see!" Aetos exclaimed triumphantly. "Oji-chama puts his wee wee here!"

~END~


	2. Chapter 2 - The Sneaky Little Demon

**CHAPTER 1**

"Oji-chama," Aetos said, tugging Barbatos' sleeve.

"Yes?"

"I'm gonna marry Ikutachi-tan."

Barbatos looked up from the bag he was packing for Aetos. It was his nephew's last day with him, so he was making sure he had everything ready for little demon's trip back to hell. The boy had spent almost a week with him, and, even though he was a handful, Barbatos had enjoyed their time together.

"But Iku belongs to me," Barbatos replied, zipping the bag and tossing it on the floor by the door.

"Not no more, remember? Ikutachi-tan says he don't like you cause you's a 'stupid bloody demon.'"

Barbatos laughed loudly, ruffling Aetos' hair. "He did say that, didn't he? Do me a favor and don't repeat that in front of your mother."

"I won't, Oji-chama," Aetos replied, "but now that Ikutachi-tan don't want you no more, I want him."

"Listen, Aetos, Iku is just mad right now. When we fight, the Anima says all kinds of things he doesn't mean. Once he calms down, we'll make up and everything will go back to normal."

"I don't know, Oji-chama," Aetos replied, tapping his tiny chin thoughtfully. "He was pretty mad when he took his stuff."

"His stuff? When?"

"Last night when you was in the shower."

Barbatos immediately walked to the dresser, yanking open the drawer he'd designated for Ikutachi. His stomach dropped to his feet. It was empty…

"See, told ya," Aetos said, standing on his tippy toes and peeking into the drawer. "Ikutachi-tan doesn't like you no more. He took his stuff and left forever."

Barbatos was speechless. It had taken him months to convince the fiercely independent Anima to keep a change of clothes in his room, and it had been a huge victory for him when Ikutachi finally agreed. If the Anima had cleared out his drawer, then things were far more serious than Barbatos had realized.

"Why didn't you tell me he came by, Aetos?!"

"Because Ikutachi-tan said not to, and because you was in the shower."

"Yes, but you still should've said something!"

"But you said sit down and don't move until you finished."

Barbatos groaned. "Of all the times you actually listen…" he walked over to Aetos, scooping him up and setting him on the bed. "Oji-sama needs to go and talk to Iku, so I need you stay right here and be a good boy, do you understand?"

Aetos nodded; his chubby cheeks jiggling with the movement.

"I'll have one of the maids come and sit with you until I get back. You can watch TV or play with your toys, just stay out of trouble."

"Otay, Oji-chama!"

Barbatos left the room, missing Aetos' triumphant smile.

**CHAPTER 2**

"Ikutachi-tan, why you crying?"

Ikutachi sat quietly in the sun room located in the Anima wing of Master Akasha's mansion. It was a peaceful place to sit and think since most daemons preferred the common rooms. He was watching the snow fall outside when Aetos walked into the room. As discreetly as he could, Ikutachi wiped the tears from his eyes and put on the best smile he could manage.

"I'm not crying, little one. There's something in my eye."

Aetos lifted his arms so Ikutachi could pick him up. Settling comfortably on the Anima's lap, Aetos cupped Ikutachi's face with his tiny hands and carefully examined his emerald green eyes.

"I don't see nothing, Ikutachi-tan."

Ikutachi laughed, pinching Aetos' cheek playfully. "Thank you for checking, Ae-kun, but I think it's gone now. By the way, how did you find me? Did your uncle send you?"

"No, I asked the pretty man with the long hair where you was."

"You mean, Mika-chan?"

"Uh-huh, he said you was sad and needed someone to make you smile." Aetos sat back on his heels, his eyes watering as if he were about to cry. "A-are you mad at me, too?"

"Mad?" Ikutachi pulled Aetos into his arms, squeezing him tightly. "Why on earth would I be mad at you?"

"B-because you mad at Oji-chama," Aetos sniffled. "That's why you was crying."

"I'm not mad," Ikutachi replied, allowing Aetos to snuggle into his embrace. "I'm more confused than anything else. We had a fight yesterday, which is normal for your uncle and I, but last night the strangest thing happened. He sent a maid to my door carrying a bag with all the things I usually keep in his room.

"Hmm," Aetos said quietly, "maybe Oji-chama doesn't like you no more. You was kinda mean to him yesterday."

Ikutachi's breath caught; a tiny sob slipping from his lips before he could stop it. "Not any more than I usually am. I don't understand what's changed. And if he was going to kick me out, the least he could've done was bring me my stuff himself. After all we've been through, why would he do something so… so…" he sucked his teeth angrily, wiping away his newly shed tears. "Maybe I am mad."

"A-at me?"

"No, no, Ae-kun, never you. You haven't done anything wrong."

Ikutachi placed a kiss atop Aetos' head, settling comfortably in the chair and rocking them both back and forth slowly. They sat in silence for several minutes until the little demon wriggled out of Ikutachi's embrace.

"Ikutachi-tan?"

"Yes, little one?"

"Can I take Oji-chama's place?"

Ikutachi frowned. "His place? What do you mean?"

"I-I could be with you like Oji-chama is. A-and I'll be a good boy so you won't get mad and cry."

"Aww, that's sweet of you to offer, Ae-kun, but I'm a grown up and you're still a little boy. I don't think that would be appropriate."

"B-but, I'll be 4 soon! And papa says I'm tall for my age!"

"You definitely are," Ikutachi agreed, "but you're still too young. Not to mention, you'll be a king of hell when you get older. You should find yourself a beautiful demon princess to marry and be your queen."

"But I don't want a qween, I want Ikutachi-tan."

"Ae-kun…"

"Will you wait for me? Mama says demons grow up faster than humans. I'll be a big boy soon and then we can be together!"

Ikutachi smiled down at Aetos, brushing a strand of hair from the demon's brow. "I have no doubt you will grow up to be a very handsome demon, but I'm in love with your uncle, and he's the only one I want to be with."

"But he don't want you no more!"

"That might be true," Ikutachi replied in a pained voice, "but it doesn't change how I feel about him. I love Barbatos and whether we're together or not, my heart will always belong to him. Besides," he added with a hopeful expression. "Your uncle and I have been through far worse than this, and we always find our way back to each other. I'm sure his impulsiveness was nothing more than an overreaction to our argument. If I know my Phantom, he's probably regretting it as we speak. You know what," he said, sitting up in his seat, "I'm going to go find him so we can put all this nonsense behind us. Would you like to come with me, Ae-kun? We can…"

"No, I don't wanna see him," Aetos huffed angrily. "I don't like Oji-chama!"

"You don't mean that, Ae-kun."

"Yes I do! He took you away from me!"

Ikutachi smiled sadly, cupping Aetos' cheek. "He can't take away something you never had, little one. I've always belonged to your uncle, you know that."

"But it's not fair!"

"I know it seems like that now, but one day you'll understand." Ikutachi pulled Aetos into his arms once more, holding him close. "How about we stop by the kitchen for a treat? I think some milk and cookies will do us both some good."

"Not so fast," Barbatos said slipping out of the shadows.

Aetos yelped loudly, throwing his arms around Ikutachi's neck and burying his face.

"Jesus H. Christ, Phantom," Ikutachi cried. "You scared us half to death! What are you doing here?!"

"I was following that deceitful little demon right there," Barbatos replied, glaring down at the child in Ikutachi's arms. "I had the most interesting conversation with the maid a little while ago. Care to guess what she told me, Aetos?"

Aetos refused to answer, shaking his head and keeping his face buried in the crook of Ikutachi's neck.

"Ae-kun," Ikutachi said, rubbing the little demon's back comfortingly. "What's your uncle talking about?"

Aetos shrugged his tiny shoulders, tightening his grip around Ikutachi's neck.

"Oh, don't try to act innocent now," Barbatos snorted. "I know what you did!"

"And what exactly did he do?" Ikutachi asked; this time addressing the Phantom.

"He's played a trick on us, Iku! One that's disturbingly impressive. If I wasn't so pissed, I'd be proud of the little brat." "

Aetos lifted his head, sticking out his tongue at Barbatos then burying it again.

"Why you little…?"

Barbatos lunged at the chair, ready to snatch the boy up by his collar. Ikutachi jumped to his feet, shielding Aetos from the demon's grasp.

"Calm down, Phantom! Whatever he did it can't be that bad!"

"Oh really? Why don't you ask the little snot how your things suddenly vanished from my room!"

For half a second, Ikutachi appeared confused, but then his eyes went wide with surprise. He pried Aetos' arms from around his neck and plopped the demon onto the chair.

"Ae-kun, did you take my clothes out of your uncle's room?"

"No." Aetos replied, tugging at his pants.

Barbatos rolled his eyes at the boy's response. "Did you tell the maid to take Ikutachi's clothes out of my room?"

Aetos looked up at Barbatos, scowling angrily at the Phantom.

"Don't give me that look," Barbatos snapped. "It's your own fault for being so duplicitous!"

"I'm a demon, Oji-chama! I'm supposed to be dupickitus!"

Ikutachi chuckled softy at the demon's mispronunciation. "He does have a point," he agreed, smiling up at Barbatos.

"Don't take his side!" the Phantom exclaimed. "I can't believe you're laughing after what he did!"

"And I can't believe you're this upset over a child's prank," Ikutachi retorted. He turned back to Aetos, poking the little demon gently in the belly. "Now tell me, Ae-kun, why would you play such a mean trick on me? I thought we were friends."

"We is friends," Aetos pouted. "B-but I want Ikutachi-tan to be my qween! If you with Oji-chama, I can't have you!"

"I see," Ikutachi said, realization dawning. "You're trying to break us up, aren't you, Ae-kun? That way you and I can be together."

The tiny demon nodded, wiping his runny nose with his sleeve. "If you don't like each other, then you won't be together no more. And if you not together no more, then I can have Ikutachi-tan."

"Wait a minute," Barbatos said; his anger fading. "This morning… you were serious about marrying him? And here I thought you were just being silly." He knelt down beside Ikutachi, tugging Aetos' ear gently. "Oh, little demon, I knew you had a crush on Iku, but I didn't realize…"

"It's not a crush!" Aetos cried indignantly. "I love, Ikutachi-tan!"

Ikutachi sighed heavily, exchanging an exhausted look with Barbatos before turning back to Aetos. "Ae-kun, you're too young to understand what love is right now. To be honest, the concept is still confusing for me and I'm a grown up."

"But I'm not confused, Ikutachi-tan! I love you!"

"And I believe you, Ae-kun, but I don't think it's the same kind of love that Barbatos and I have for each other."

"S-so you only love Oji-chama?" Aetos whimpered.

"I love you both," Ikutachi replied, tapping the tip of Aetos' nose, "just in different ways."

"R-really?"

"Absolutely," Ikutachi said, pinching Aetos' cheek. "Don't tell your uncle this, but you're my favorite demon."

"I think he heard you, Ikutachi-tan." Aetos said, making a sound between a giggle and a sniffle.

"Whoops," Ikutachi said, nudging Barbatos playfully. "Now listen to me, Ae-kun," he continued, taking Aetos' tiny hands in his. "You shouldn't be worrying about things like love right now. You have an entire lifetime to search for your queen, and when you find her, or him," he added with a wink. "You won't have to resort to lies or tricks to win them over."

"Iku's right," Barbatos added. "You can't take love, Aetos. It must be given freely."

Aetos tried to hold back his tears; his tiny lip trembling at the truth in their words. He was trying to be a brave demon, but it was too much for the little child to bear. He burst into a fit of sobs, throwing himself into Ikutachi's arms.

"Can you give us a minute?" Ikutachi asked Barbatos.

The Phantom frowned. "Maybe I should…"

"Please," Ikutachi replied in a quiet but firm voice. "What the little demon and I have to discuss is not for your ears."

Barbatos sighed, standing to his feet. He looked from Ikutachi to Aetos and back again. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, now go wait for us in the hall. We'll be out in a few minutes."

**CHAPTER 3**

Ikutachi came out of sunroom holding a surprisingly cheerful Aetos in his arms. Barbatos' surprise must have shown on his face, because the Anima gave him a look that said, _I'll explain later_.

"Everything alright?" Barbatos asked carefully.

"Yes," Ikutachi replied, "for the time being."

Aetos poked Ikutachi's cheek with his tiny finger, apparently a signal that he wanted to be put down. Ikutachi obliged, setting Aetos gingerly on his feet. With the grace and dignity of a future king of hell, he approached Barbatos.

"Oji-chama, I'm sorry. I didn't mean what I said about not liking you no more. A-and I promise not to try and take Ikutachi-tan from you. At least… not now." Aetos turned to Ikutachi, smiling proudly. "Was that good?"

The Anima smiled back, shooting Barbatos an apologetic look. "It was perfect, Ae-kun."

"And we can have cookies now?" the little demon asked, looking up at Ikutachi with big, bright eyes.

"We sure can," Ikutachi answered. "Should we ask your uncle to join us?"

Aetos frowned, looking up at Barbatos, "I guess he can come. You want some cookies, Oji-chama?"

"Cookies sound like a great idea," Barbatos replied. "Why don't you lead the way, Aetos?"

Aetos nodded, taking off towards the kitchen.

"How'd you pull that off?" Barbatos asked suspiciously, reaching out to take Ikutachi's hand as they strolled behind Aetos.

"What, you don't think I can handle a temperamental demon?" Ikutachi replied, gazing up at his lover with a spark of mischief in his eyes. "If you've dealt with one, you've dealt with them all."

"Indeed," Barbatos chuckled, "but I know that look all too well, and considering how compliant Aetos is at the moment, I have a feeling I'd be a fool to turn a blind eye. What did you say to him?"

"Only that he and I couldn't be together. At least not right now?"

"And what the hell is that supposed to mean?"

Ikutachi tugged Barbatos close, slipping an arm around his waist. "Surely you didn't think your dear nephew would be so easily deterred. He's a demon after all, and if he's anything like his uncle, no amount of words will keep him from his goal. So," he continued; his expression a mixture of amusement and guilt, "instead of trying to convince him to give up completely, I told him he's welcome to try and win my heart when he comes of age."

"You've got to be kidding me? So in a few years' time I'll have to battle my nephew for your love?"

"Hardly," Ikutachi said, smacking Barbatos lightly on the butt. "I meant what I said about my heart and who it belongs to. Still, you never know what might happen in the future. I might want to upgrade my demon. Kind of like a Barbatos 2.0," he mused.

"Then I'll have to remind you later why the original is always the best choice."

"I will hold you to that, lover. It's been days since I've had you inside of me. If this is what having children is like, then I almost feel sorry for you brother and sister-in-law."

"Ah, it's not so bad. I think it would be nice having a few little ones around. Not now, of course, but in a few years."

"You do know I'm a man, right? If its babies you want, I can't help you."

Barbatos laughed, wrapping his arm around Ikutachi's shoulders. "There are other ways to start a family."

"Yes, I suppose, but shouldn't we get married first?"

Barbatos' entire body went rigid. "You shouldn't joke about that," he answered in a tight voice. "Not after…"

"I'm not joking." Ikutachi said, cutting him off. "I love you, Barbatos, and I want to marry you. Maybe even find a little Aetos of our own." He pulled Barbatos to a stop, lacing their fingers together and looking up at him with a relieved expression. "You know, I've been trying to work up the courage to tell you that for weeks. It feels good to finally tell you the truth of it."

"Iku… I-I…"

"No," Ikutachi said quickly, placing a hand over Barbatos' mouth, "don't say anything right now. Just promise me that you'll propose again. It doesn't have to be today or tomorrow or even a year from now. I just need to know that you'll ask me again."

Barbatos nodded slowly; surprised he was still on his feet despite the sudden sensation of having all the air knocked out of his lungs.

"Ikutachi-tan!" Aetos called, peeking out of the kitchen doorway. "Hurry up! I can't reach the cookies!"

Ikutachi let go of Barbatos, taking a few steps forward before turning back to meet the Phantom's shocked and bewildered gaze.

"Try not to make me wait too long," Ikutachi said, smiling shyly, "otherwise, I might have to take Ae-kun up on his offer."

With that, Ikutachi walked into the kitchen, leaving a stuttering Barbatos behind him.

~END~


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